Peripheral ports are central to the functions of a computer and are just as important as the processor, hard drive and random access memory. Some peripherals are even required to use the computer; if the ASUS A8N-E fails to detect a keyboard, for example, it will emit a series of beeps and won't boot to the operating system. In the worst of cases, the peripheral ports stop working because the A8N-E is failing - but even this can be circumvented in some situations.
BIOS
The basic input/output system has several responsibilities; among them is the configuration and management of installed hardware. However, the hardware settings on the ASUS A8N-E aren't written in stone; the motherboard provides access to a system setup program that enables you to change how the BIOS handles hardware. Pressing "Del" or "Delete" as the computer is booting will load the BIOS software. On the Advanced screen is a sub-menu called Onboard Device Configuration. This sub-menu contains settings that enable you to enable or disable the USB, Ethernet, serial and parallel ports. If any of the preceding peripheral ports have stopped working, check the BIOS to confirm that these ports are not disabled.
Expansion Cards
The ASUS A8N-E features three available peripheral component interconnect slots, two PCI Express x1 slots, one PCIe x4 slot and one PCIe x16 slot. You can install additional expansion cards to these slots to add extra features to the ASUS A8N-E. For example, the motherboard doesn't come with a built-in graphics card, so to add video support to the PC, you must install a graphics card to the PCIe x16 slot. If the peripheral ports attached to that card stop working - but have worked in the past without problem - the expansion card might be dead.
Hardware Conflicts
To perform specific tasks on a computer, the installed hardware must get permission from the central processing unit. The hardware sends these requests to the CPU via interrupt request channels. Each hardware component is assigned an IRQ. PCI and PCIe cards can share IRQs, but not all IRQs can be shared. Because IRQ configurations can be complex, it's best to let the BIOS do it. On the Frequency/Voltage Control sub-menu - accessed from the Advanced screen - change Resources Controlled By to Auto to enable the motherboard to configure IRQs automatically.
Motherboard Failure
Sometimes, the peripheral ports stop working because the circuit or component on the board that controls that port is damaged. If all of the peripheral ports no longer work, then the best option is to replace your ASUS A8N-E. However, if just one or two peripheral ports have failed, install an expansion card instead that offers the same ports. For example, if the USB ports stop working, add a USB card to the PCIe x1 or PCIe x4 slot, then disable the onboard USB ports in the BIOS.
Tags: ASUS A8N-E, peripheral ports, PCIe slot, stop working, ports stop